the ER staff starts to recognize you! yes, we were back there tonight with max. i am beginning to think whatever it was that i did in this former life could not have been worth it!
thankfully there was no overnight visit required this time!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
giving thanks
this really has been a test this month - trying to find things for which i am thankful. for example, this week i was thankful that fin made it to the bathroom before puking his guts out. and somehow giving thanks for that feat was not exactly what i had in mind when i was looking to gain some perspective about this time last year.
i have heard it said that the healing thing to do is to face your fears head on, so i guess in a way going to the hospital with max was sort of an exercise in just that. not that i am afraid of the hospital, however all the change it brought about while i was there was scary. or maybe a better way to put it was the lack of control that i felt whilst a resident there and in the nicu days that followed. just walking into the ER a familiar smell washed over me. answering questions about our nicu stay and how early the boys were etc. brought memories rushing back. and so when the ped. said they were going to admit max, i burst into tears. not so much because he was being hospitalized, but because i felt that control slipping away again. as she patted my arm and told me max was going to be fine, i told her i knew that i was just having nicu flashbacks.
the familiarities did not end with the smell, i was bombarded by them everywhere. the little tiny cups of cranberry juice sealed with a foil lid, the endless beep of the central monitor that makes your own heart skip a beat each and every time it goes off, the tv remote that only allows you to scroll through each and every channel rather than choosing a specific channel by punching in a number, and for that matter channel 86 the ambient music channel meant to calm patients, the cafeteria cheeseburger that somehow tastes like liver, the whiteboard where the nurse writes her name or wishes you a happy thanksgiving by drawing a turkey and cornucopia should you be lucky enough to spend a holiday there, the 4 servings of butter that comes on the breakfast tray even though there is nothing on the tray that remotely requires butter, the sixth sense the entire staff has that allows them to know when you are about to fall asleep so they might as well come on in and check your temp for the 80th time today, the list is endless.
then i woke up today, thanksgiving day, i had internalized something important. even though i had been telling myself this all along, somehow today it truly resonated. all of that crap i lived through was worth it because of where i sit today. i have a full family, i have *3* children, i am a very lucky woman. so with that i mind, i set about roasting turkey and mashing potatoes and sat down at a table with the people who mean the to most to me.
here we are...
happy thanksgiving everyone!!
ps - max learned how to clap this week. (we played a lot of pat-a-cake to pass the time in the hospital) see for yourself...
i have heard it said that the healing thing to do is to face your fears head on, so i guess in a way going to the hospital with max was sort of an exercise in just that. not that i am afraid of the hospital, however all the change it brought about while i was there was scary. or maybe a better way to put it was the lack of control that i felt whilst a resident there and in the nicu days that followed. just walking into the ER a familiar smell washed over me. answering questions about our nicu stay and how early the boys were etc. brought memories rushing back. and so when the ped. said they were going to admit max, i burst into tears. not so much because he was being hospitalized, but because i felt that control slipping away again. as she patted my arm and told me max was going to be fine, i told her i knew that i was just having nicu flashbacks.
the familiarities did not end with the smell, i was bombarded by them everywhere. the little tiny cups of cranberry juice sealed with a foil lid, the endless beep of the central monitor that makes your own heart skip a beat each and every time it goes off, the tv remote that only allows you to scroll through each and every channel rather than choosing a specific channel by punching in a number, and for that matter channel 86 the ambient music channel meant to calm patients, the cafeteria cheeseburger that somehow tastes like liver, the whiteboard where the nurse writes her name or wishes you a happy thanksgiving by drawing a turkey and cornucopia should you be lucky enough to spend a holiday there, the 4 servings of butter that comes on the breakfast tray even though there is nothing on the tray that remotely requires butter, the sixth sense the entire staff has that allows them to know when you are about to fall asleep so they might as well come on in and check your temp for the 80th time today, the list is endless.
then i woke up today, thanksgiving day, i had internalized something important. even though i had been telling myself this all along, somehow today it truly resonated. all of that crap i lived through was worth it because of where i sit today. i have a full family, i have *3* children, i am a very lucky woman. so with that i mind, i set about roasting turkey and mashing potatoes and sat down at a table with the people who mean the to most to me.
here we are...
happy thanksgiving everyone!!
ps - max learned how to clap this week. (we played a lot of pat-a-cake to pass the time in the hospital) see for yourself...
seriously people
now fin is throwing up!! i am not sure what i did to deserve this in a former life, but i sure hope it was worth it.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
review of the spa at aamc
hey everyone, the spa at anne arundel medical center (aamc) is offering some new treatments you do not want to miss. leave your husband home and book a room with a young loved one now and take advantage of some of these:
breathing treatments: forget the albuterol -that is so last year. we especially loved the treatments with epinephrine in them. you no longer need to mainline caffeine into your 11 month old, this blow by treatment will have them bouncing off the walls for hours. i highly recommend scheduling these for every 4 hours - you wont be sorry when they wake you up at 3:30am for this treat! it only takes 10 minutes, but lasts for hours!
pulsox monitoring: everybody who is somebody is now sporting the latest in pulse reading equipment. aamc won't be left behind with their newest ouchless pulsox bandaid that doesnt stick to human skin. a few yards of steri-tape later and you too can sport this "ET phone home" lighted appendage. all the cool kids have one! the best part is it hooks to a machine that lets you know when it falls off or doesnt register your pulse properly with a wonderfully soothing beeping alarm guaranteed to relax you mind, body and spirit. it is especially fun when your spa coordinator decides your young loved one should be continuously hooked to the machine. don't worry, there is no possible way your 11 month old will try to strangle themselves with the cord.
cool mist facial: make sure you order the cool mist oxygen blow by facial for your young one. the best part about this is they can do it while you sleep! who doesnt love having cold wet air blown on them while they are sleeping. its great for the pores! if you are especially lucky, all the moisture will collect in the tubing and periodically soak your little ones 50 thread count sheets to the core, requiring a complimentary turn down service. there is no limit on these turn down services, be sure you get a few!
complimentary wake up call: surprisingly, there is also no additional charge or limit to this service. all of the staff at aamc, including the housekeeping staff, are highly trained to sense any sign of sleep. just close your eyes for a minute, and they will come barging into your room to reline your trash bins (all 5 of them in the jr. suite), take your loved ones temp, or just offer you a newspaper. how thoughtful!
world class cuisine: your 11 month old will love the thoughtfully planned breakfast that include such kid-friendly treats as banana NUT muffins! in case room service doesnt deliver what you ordered there is a nourishment room conveniently located near all the jr. suites that includes one 3 year old jar of gerbers baby food. also available are convenient ready to feed 2 oz bottles for your thirsty little one - surely you will not be able to get the nipple on these quick enough to satisfy even the happiest baby.
all in all, the spa at aamc has come a long way, since my own stay there just last year. the holidays are booking fast, so be sure to reserve your room early. you will not be disappointed, the spa at aamc has really thought of everything!
breathing treatments: forget the albuterol -that is so last year. we especially loved the treatments with epinephrine in them. you no longer need to mainline caffeine into your 11 month old, this blow by treatment will have them bouncing off the walls for hours. i highly recommend scheduling these for every 4 hours - you wont be sorry when they wake you up at 3:30am for this treat! it only takes 10 minutes, but lasts for hours!
pulsox monitoring: everybody who is somebody is now sporting the latest in pulse reading equipment. aamc won't be left behind with their newest ouchless pulsox bandaid that doesnt stick to human skin. a few yards of steri-tape later and you too can sport this "ET phone home" lighted appendage. all the cool kids have one! the best part is it hooks to a machine that lets you know when it falls off or doesnt register your pulse properly with a wonderfully soothing beeping alarm guaranteed to relax you mind, body and spirit. it is especially fun when your spa coordinator decides your young loved one should be continuously hooked to the machine. don't worry, there is no possible way your 11 month old will try to strangle themselves with the cord.
cool mist facial: make sure you order the cool mist oxygen blow by facial for your young one. the best part about this is they can do it while you sleep! who doesnt love having cold wet air blown on them while they are sleeping. its great for the pores! if you are especially lucky, all the moisture will collect in the tubing and periodically soak your little ones 50 thread count sheets to the core, requiring a complimentary turn down service. there is no limit on these turn down services, be sure you get a few!
complimentary wake up call: surprisingly, there is also no additional charge or limit to this service. all of the staff at aamc, including the housekeeping staff, are highly trained to sense any sign of sleep. just close your eyes for a minute, and they will come barging into your room to reline your trash bins (all 5 of them in the jr. suite), take your loved ones temp, or just offer you a newspaper. how thoughtful!
world class cuisine: your 11 month old will love the thoughtfully planned breakfast that include such kid-friendly treats as banana NUT muffins! in case room service doesnt deliver what you ordered there is a nourishment room conveniently located near all the jr. suites that includes one 3 year old jar of gerbers baby food. also available are convenient ready to feed 2 oz bottles for your thirsty little one - surely you will not be able to get the nipple on these quick enough to satisfy even the happiest baby.
all in all, the spa at aamc has come a long way, since my own stay there just last year. the holidays are booking fast, so be sure to reserve your room early. you will not be disappointed, the spa at aamc has really thought of everything!
the spa at anne arundel medical center
this weekend was a long awaited weekend for us. j and i were to finally have an overnight alone at the spa and resort in cambridge, md. the last time we got away overnight without kids, i was pregnant with fin. we spent that time in cambridge as well. we got such a great deal this time and my parents offered to take all three boys, we thought we would do it again. after all, we had a rough year last year, with bedrest, 31 weekers, endless nicu days and nights, etc. we spent so many holidays at the anne arundel medical center last year it was ridiculous. this was our chance to reconnect, put our last horror of a vacation out of our minds. and then it happened...
max and keegan got sick early last week. wednesday was what we thought was the worst of it, so off to see dr. n we went. he was very concerned about the wheezing going on and mentioned that it wasnt quite bad enough to go to the hospital. just the mention of the hospital put me in a panic, somehow my body knew it was coming. and it did.
sat. morning after several days of nebs, antibiotics and even steriods max woke up a very wheezy boy. i didnt even bother to neb him again, just threw on some shoes and rushed to the ER. despite the poor woman laying on the floor by the sign in desk who was writhing in pain, we were whisked right back. max was such a trouper, he charmed all the nurses and rarely cried through the whole thing. we spent a few hours in the ER and then were admitted to the hospital. turns out max has RSV (likely keegan does too). we got to come home around lunchtime today, and will follow up with dr. n tomorrow.
more on the spa at anne arundel medical center later...
max and keegan got sick early last week. wednesday was what we thought was the worst of it, so off to see dr. n we went. he was very concerned about the wheezing going on and mentioned that it wasnt quite bad enough to go to the hospital. just the mention of the hospital put me in a panic, somehow my body knew it was coming. and it did.
sat. morning after several days of nebs, antibiotics and even steriods max woke up a very wheezy boy. i didnt even bother to neb him again, just threw on some shoes and rushed to the ER. despite the poor woman laying on the floor by the sign in desk who was writhing in pain, we were whisked right back. max was such a trouper, he charmed all the nurses and rarely cried through the whole thing. we spent a few hours in the ER and then were admitted to the hospital. turns out max has RSV (likely keegan does too). we got to come home around lunchtime today, and will follow up with dr. n tomorrow.
more on the spa at anne arundel medical center later...
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
november is prematurity awareness month
did you know that every year roughly 500,000 infants are born premature? that is roughly the population of washington, DC!
last year, max and keegan were a part of that statistic. i am so lucky to have them both here and healthy! looking at them now, you would never know they were born 9 weeks early. some families however are not so lucky and face a lifetime of worry as a result of the premature birth of their child.
last year, max and keegan were a part of that statistic. i am so lucky to have them both here and healthy! looking at them now, you would never know they were born 9 weeks early. some families however are not so lucky and face a lifetime of worry as a result of the premature birth of their child.
Even if you do everything right, you can still have preterm labor. Preterm labor is a serious problem occurring before 37 weeks of pregnancy. This is too early, and your baby could be born too soon. Call your health care provider right away if you have any of these warning signs.
Warning Signs
• Contractions (your abdomen tightens like a fist) every 10 minutes or more often
• Change in vaginal discharge (leaking fluid or bleeding from your vagina)
• Pelvic pressure—the feeling that the baby is pushing down
• Low, dull backache
• Cramps that feel like your period
• Abdominal cramps with or without diarrhea
What Your Health Care Provider Might Tell You
• Come into the office or go to the hospital right away.
• Stop what you were doing.
• Rest on your left side for one hour.
• Drink two to three glasses of water or juice (not coffee or soda).
Take Care of Yourself and Your Baby
• Get regular prenatal checkups.
• Try to avoid stress. Ask family and friends for help.
• Don’t drink alcohol, smoke or take street drugs.
• If you feel burning or pain when you go to the bathroom, you may have an infection. Call your health care provider.
For more information, visit the Web site of the March of Dimes: marchofdimes.com.
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